Judgement of Paris by Peter Paul Rubens is a painting that tells a story about Ancient Greece.
In this portrait, a group of guys are judging a group of women. The women are lined up and judged. This painting then turns into a painting of a “beauty contest” between the women. The winner of this contest is chosen and given a prize by the men. This painting is very significant because it tells the story about how the ancient Greeks based their society on looks and were obsessed with how women looked liked in comparison to each other. In society back then if a woman was overweight that was considered a good thing and it was very attractive because that meant that she had a lot to eat and was wealthy. The Greek men would judge women in all walks of life in Greece because they were constantly looking for new wives or companions and the urge would come from solely physical attraction. This painting embodies the fact that women were neglected in ancient society and the fact that men only cared about physical attractiveness was a hint that Greek was a very superficial society which holds true from many historical readings.
It's funny how you refer to the Greek ideals about women as though they are no different than how men see women today. Just because the standards of beauty have shifted does not mean men today don't behave in similar fashions. Lists like Maxim's and GC's top 100 are often cited in casual conversation because of how relevant it is to us that Bar Rafaeli and Olvia Munn where rated the most attractive women, respectively.
ReplyDeleteFittingly, People Magazine named Gwyneth Paltrow the most beautiful woman in the world. I think the only thing that changes is the standard of beauty. From Helen of Troy to Marilyn Monroe, the most beautiful always get noticed. The only changes are what that beauty happens to be. I don't think the Greeks, or any ancient society really, was any more superficial than we are now. They worshipped mythical gods as their celebrities; ours just happen to be real people.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that standards of beauty has changed over time, and is different in every society and culture. What was beautiful in the days of ancient Greek may not necessarily be considered beautiful today. At the same time, in a century or so, women like Olivia Munn may not be considered beautiful. Tall and thin is the standard of beauty today, yet this may not be the case in the future.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, we cannot look down at these men for "judging" the women in the Judgment of Paris painting. Instead, I believe we can also find fault in the women for allowing themselves to be judged as so. To Yelena's point, the women that pose on the covers of Maxim are not only allowing, but also enticing men to judge and see them as so. In my opinion, women have just as much of a part in the "judgment" aspect as men.